Flight of Vengeance
by Spiderwiz
Summary: Part 2 of the "Flight" series: Years ago, when Dick Grayson was still Robin, an unidentified associate of Scarecrow's targeted Robin for unknown reasons. They escaped Batman's clutches, and were never caught, but what happens when the associate comes back years later and attacks Nightwing? Damian, Tim, Jason, and Bruce will do whatever it takes to protect Dick, but at what cost?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome to the second installment of the Flight series. You _could_ read this without having read Flight of Fear first, butthis will make more sense if you do. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Nightwing sighed with relief as he jumped through the window to his apartment's bedroom. It had been an exhausting night on patrol in Blüdhaven, and he couldn't wait to get out of his costume, chill on the couch, and-

Wait. Why was the living room light on? Dick specifically remembered turning off all of the lights before he headed out. His electricity bill was running a bit high, and the last thing Dick wanted to do was ask Bruce for some money. He knew the older man would have handed him his credit card in a heartbeat, but he didn't need Bruce's help. He hadn't for a long time.

Dick went into his living room, walking silently. He had the suspicion that someone was in there. Problem was, he didn't know who. He didn't currently have a girlfriend, and even if he did, they would have called or at least texted him before coming over.

He kept his mask on as he crept along the floor, since if someone was in here, he didn't want to compromise his identity. If someone saw Dick Grayson in Nightwing's costume… Complications would arise… Though, if he kept wearing his mask, they would just wonder what exactly Nightwing was doing in Dick Grayson's apartment. It was a flawed plan, really.

Nightwing held his escrima sticks behind his back, preparing to attack. Once he entered and approached the couch, he noticed someone sitting there, as if boredly waiting. Someone short. And then-

"Finally Grayson. Do you know how long I've been waiting here for you?"

Dick frowned, and his escrima sticks fell to his side. "Damian?" he asked, taken aback. This was unexpected.

"Tt. Of course. Who else would it be?" Damian asked, though a very slight smile came to his lips.

Dick suddenly grinned and went over to wrap the ex-assassin in a big ol' hug, much to the younger boy's protests. Ever since he had taken him in during the time Bruce was "dead", the two had become quite close. Damian had been very difficult at first, and along with the stress of having to become Batman, Dick had been overwhelmed. But thanks to Alfred and his ever amazing advice, the two had continued to work together and become the new Dynamic Duo.

Slowly, over time, Damian's attitude had changed. Sure, it took a while, and DAmian still had his moments, but Dick grew to really care for him. But then of course, Bruce returned. Bruce wanted Damian to stay with him, not Dick. There had been a large argument.

"I'm his biological father, Dick! I have every right to take in my son!" Bruce had argued.

"Oh yeah? Well, guess what! I'm the one who looked after him while you were gone! And I've lived with you, Bruce-You're not what Damian needs right now. He needs someone who will actually care about him and not just how well he does on patrol. That someone isn't you!" Dick had shouted back, the bitterness of his past with Bruce clear in his tone. He didn't understand the full impact of his words till later, but he was right. Dick had been more of a father to Damian than Bruce had ever been.

Dick eventually gave in though, and Bruce got custody of Damian again. He wasn't happy with it, but he supposed that Bruce had a point...Damian deserved to live with his actual dad. He still got to see him often enough though, whenever he visited Gotham, or Damian came here to Blüdhaven. So in the long run… It turned out alright. That didn't mean that he forgave Bruce though. In fact, he still harbored ill feelings towards his old mentor.

Dick shook himself out of his thoughts, and ruffled Damian's hair. "Well, I'm glad to see you Lil' D. But uh… Why exactly are you here?"

"Father sent me," Damian replied bluntly. "He wishes for you to return to Gotham immediately. Something about an unfinished case."

"An unfinished case, huh…" Dick muttered, mainly to himself. He couldn't think of any unfinished cases he and Bruce still had laying around… It must have been from years ago, when he was still Robin, and before he went off to join the Titans. But which case was Bruce referring to? And why was it apparently so important that Bruce needed his help? They were barely on speaking terms right now…

Dick shook his head. He wasn't in the mood to work with Bruce on anything right now. "Sorry Damian, I can't."

"It wasn't a request."

Dick sighed tiredly, before taking off his mask and pinching the bridge of his nose. He stared up at the ceiling, thinking, before turning back to Damian. He noticed how the current Robin's face suddenly seemed to soften a little.

"Father wouldn't have asked for you if it wasn't important."

Dick listened carefully to those words. Damian was right. Bruce knew that Dick didn't want to do anything with him right now. He wouldn't have asked him to come to Gotham to help him work on an old case if it wasn't truly important.

"Fine," Dick decided. He stood up. "Now let me change, and then to Gotham we go."


	2. Chapter 2

When they arrived in Gotham, then at the manor, Dick was growing impatient. The whole trip there, he couldn't help but what wonder just what exactly this case was. Because it had to be pretty big for Bruce to get desperate enough to call for him for help.

Still in costume, Nightwing and Robin entered the Batcave, where Bruce was waiting. His cowl was off, and his face was etched with something Dick couldn't pinpoint. Worry? Frustration? Stress? Concern? No, it couldn't be worry or concern. Batman never showed any emotion. Neither did Bruce Wayne, really.

There had been a time when Dick trusted no one more than Bruce. A time when they actually got along and could hold a conversation for more than two minutes without yelling at each other. Heck, Dick used to look up to Bruce. He used to want to be him--to be the Batman!

But that time had been years ago. Things had been different ever since he entered his mid-teens. He started to realise how violent Batman really was...How Bruce never truly cared about anyone. How it was all about the mission to him.

Of course, Bruce wasn't dead to Dick. He was still family, but now, their clashing personalities only seemed to cause more harm than good.

"Hey B," Dick greeted, though there was a hint of coldness in his tone.

"Good, you're here," Bruce replied, being his usual 'straight to business' self. Again, it was all about the mission. It probably would have physically hurt him to reply, 'Hey Dick, nice to see you,' or something along those lines. "How much did Damian tell you?"

Dick turned to glance at the said person, who had disappeared into the training room. "Just that you needed my help for an old unfinished case. What is it, anyway? It sounded pretty urgent." He turned back to Bruce and folded his arms.

Bruce locked his gaze on the computer screen and began typing away, until several files and police reports came up. He gestured to the screen, and Dick looked up, studying it.

"Several Victims turned up dead…Cause proved to be from fright…Higher than usual adrenaline release made victims go into cardiac arrest." Dick frowned and paused. "Uh, okay… Scarecrow's loose again with a new and improved fear gas?"

Bruce shook his head. "No. Jonathan Crane is still locked up in Arkham, and has been under surveillance for the past week. There was an attack just last night, and I was personally guarding Crane when it happened.

"There's no possible way he could have been behind those attacks. In fact, he even seemed enraged when we showed him the reports, possibly because someone else is stealing his limelight. And when testing the dead victims, we discovered the chemicals Dopamine, Corticotropin, L-3 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, Yohimbine, among others."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "Scarecrow used Corticotropin and Yohimbine, but never the others… Dopamine? That's an odd choice of a chemical to induce fear."

Bruce gave a half shrug. "True. Usually it would be used to make one feel...er… romantic, but if it enters the wrong part of your brain, it brings intense feelings of fear and dread."

"Definitely strange for Crane, then. He's really only ever stuck to the basic fear chemicals and compounds, though the things he did with them tended to be unique," Dick replied. "If not him, then who-"

Shaking his head, Bruce looked Dick straight in the eyes. "Do you really not see it? Think back to years ago, when you were 13 years old. Who else did we know- or rather, didn't know- who played with fear toxins?"

"I don't-" Dick's eyes widened in alarm, and his voice wavered slightly when he spoke. "You-you don't mean-"

Bruce nodded solemnly. "I do. Scarecrow's unnamed associate… The one who nearly killed you."

Dick's face paled. After they had faced off the unnamed associate, he couldn't sleep for days. And the nightmares stayed for weeks after. He faced off Scarecrow before and suffered similar consequences, but they had never been that bad. This associate… They were more dangerous. Possibly even more unhinged. The most terrifying baddies always were the crazy ones.

"They're back then." Dick's voice was suddenly dangerously calm. He narrowed his eyes. "Where are they? Where Bruce?! You must have at least a small lead-"

Bruce stood up and placed a hand on Dick's shoulder. "Calm down, Chum. I know this is a little personal for you-"

Dick brushed Bruce's hand away and glared at him. "A little?! Bruce, you have no idea what that psycho did to me!"

"Dick, just listen to me." Bruce's voice became it's typical commanding one. Dick sighed wearily and sat down in Bruce's chair. He ran his hands down his face.

"Fine," he replied. "I'm listening."

"I know this brings back bad memories for you, but it does for me too. Not to mention Alfred… You weren't the only one affected by what happened, even if you did suffer the most." Bruce glanced over at his cowl, which was placed right next to the Batcomputer. "I don't know where Scarecrow's associate is hiding, or where they'll next be seen, but tomorrow night, I'm determined to confront them. Oracle help us by pulling up security footage all over Gotham. The second that we catch sight of them, we'll pay them a little visit."

Dick was secretly glad that Oracle was with them on this. Last time, Babs hadn't even been Batgirl. But now...With her, they stood a greater chance. She could run facial recognition, hack into databases, and do a number of things that even Bruce found difficult.

"Alright." They'd better find that nameless person. Or else Dick thought he might lose it. "Any clues on their identity?"

Bruce shook his head. "Every time I've seen them, they're wearing a mask. Here…". He pulled up a picture of them that was slightly blurry, but they could still be seen clearly enough.

Dick looked at them as his eyebrows furrowed. Tall. Slim. They wore a long, navy colored trench coat. But what unnerved Dick was the mask they wore.

It was a full face mask, a bit like Red Hood's. It was stark white, except for the face painted on it. It looked as though it was very hastily and sloppily painted on. The face was smiling cruelly, with pointed teeth, and has thin slits for eyes. Above the eyes, angry, pointed eyebrows were shown.

The mask of a mad man. The mask of someone gone insane. The mask that someone would use to strike fear, but not in a typical way.

Because insanity could be very frightening indeed. That's why the Joker was one of Batman's most dangerous villains. Because he was completely, and utterly insane.

Bruce noticed Dick's troubled expression. "How about we both shower, then head upstairs. Alfred has some tea waiting for us."

"Yeah…" Dick muttered, still staring at the screen, the mask haunting him. "Tea…"


	3. Chapter 3

After he showered and Alfred brought him his cup of tea, Dick stared blankly at the wall. They had moved upstairs in the main living room, and were out of costume now. Dick hardly touched his tea. Not because it was bad (Alfred made the best tea), but because the news he had just received disturbed him. How could it not? Zhe thought he had escaped the Scarecrow wannabe years ago, but now they were after him again. And they were someone insane, if their mask was anything to go by.

"Grayson!" Dick heard Damian demand. "Stop moping around."

"Sorry Damian," Dick replied, sounding exhausted. "Its just… I wasn't expecting to see this baddie again. Why did they wait all these years? Why not go for me again sooner?"

"Tt. Its obvious. They took that time to prepare and devise a new and better plan."

Dick ran a hand down his face and sighed. "Gee, thanks Lil' D. That makes me feel _so much_ better."

Damian scowled. "There's no reason to take that sarcastic tone with me. I was only answering your question. As bitter as the truth may be, we need to be ready for anything." The ex-assassin moved to sit on the couch next to Dick. "And why does this upset you so much anyway? You've faced Scarecrow before and he's never traumatised you like this."

Dick's gaze darkened and his hand was clenched tightly around his tea cup. "I'm _not_ traumatised, okay?!" His tone was angry, and Damian was surprised by it. It was rare to see Dick in a frenzy like this, and Damian knew something was always wrong when he was. "I'm perfectly fine." His last statement, said stubbornly, was spoken in a barely audible whisper.

Damian raised an eyebrow, refusing to just let this slide. He knew something was bothering Dick, and he wouldn't let the only person he actually considered as family be hurt like this. "Dick…" The name was uttered quietly, and Dick turned to look at Damian in surprise. He had only called him by his real name (or rather nickname) a small number of times before. Usually it was just 'Grayson'.

"Dick," Damian repeated, this time more audible. His tone was much softer; another thing which was rare for the current Robin. For once, the tough and arrogant facade Damian wore was down. "Please. Just tell me what's bothering you about this."

Dick stared at Damian in amazement. He didn't know Damian cared _this_ much about what was bothering him! Ugh, and now he couldn't refuse to talk. Not with Damian actually saying 'please'."

"Fine," Dick said about a minute later. He turned away. He sighed. "Yeah, I guess it's pretty ridiculous for me to be so...so frightened by this. I'm an adult now, and that was years ago. And it's like you said, I've faced Scarecrow before, but never been this deeply affected."

He shook his head. "It's complicated, I guess. Every time I've faced Scarecrow, he's been predictable. Batman has always had a cure to his fear gas. Yeah, it was scary every time, but I never felt like I had to worry about dying while facing him."

Dick took a deep breath, and then slowly let it out. "But with this other villain guy—we don't know anything about him. We don't know how he's connected to Scarecrow, or if he even is. We don't know why he went after me all those years ago, or why he was ever mad at Batman. And the scary part? Batman knows everything. Always. But not this time. Not this time…"

The acrobat leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling now. "There's fear in the unknown. You don't know what to expect. You don't know how dangerous it could be. You don't know how to prepare yourself… Batman and I thought we were prepared back then, but we were wrong. That baddie...He got to me and injected his fear gas. When Batman brought me back to the cave, we couldn't find any trace of it, so we just assumed my body fought it off."

Damian leaned forward and held his head up with his left hand. "I heard the next part from Alfred. You were at a gala and it acted up. You had to call the Flash for help."

Dick nodded, albeit rather solemnly. "Yeah. And if it weren't for B's quick thinking in asking Barry for help, I would have...I would have died. Do you know how scary that is? I know with our job, death is always a possible outcome, but I never thought that I would be faced with something I couldn't do anything about. If you asked Alfred or Bruce, they'd just tell you I was unconscious the whole time. But I wasn't. My eyes were closed, but I remember everything. The hallucinations I had…". Dick gulped, the emotions he felt that night after he'd been saved coming back. "...They'd never felt so real before. I forgot all about being Robin, I felt as though I was back there again at the Circus the night my parents died. Only, the fear gas made it a hundred times worse than it already was. I watched them fall over and over Damian, and I-"

He suddenly leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. "I couldn't do anything to save them. I was helpless both in and outside of the hallucinations. I was at the fear gas' complete mercy. I know- I know that might not seem like a big deal to you, but when you're the one experiencing it...It's not something you can just easily forget. I was so overcome with fear and grief that literally nothing else could cross my mind. I was just…frozen… Stuck. Trapped in that horrible, horrible nightmare."

After that, Dick was silent and Damian didn't ask any more questions. He had heard enough. And now, whether Batman gave him permission or not, he knew what he had to do.

He had to find that unknown villain who put Dick through all this crap and get his vengeance.


End file.
